A Pearl Beyond Price
by Orangeblossom Took1
Summary: Pippin's oldest sister must serve Lalia the Great.
1. A distasteful task

A Pearl Beyond Price 3: a distasteful task Whitwell 1402  
  
It was a sunny day and the younger Took siblings were enjoying the outdoors. Pimpernel was reading under a tree, Pervinca was idly picking the petals off a daisy, and Pippin was looking for interesting rocks and bugs. This was a happy circumstance because the sound of raised voices was coming from the little smial in Whitwell.  
  
"Pearl," Paladin huffed with exasperation, "You are going and that is an end to it."  
  
Pearl's eyes were narrowed and her lips were thin and tight as she replied, "I have plenty of work to do here, father, as I always have. If you think that Pimpernel is capable of cooking and cleaning you are sadly mistaken. What about Pippin?" Pearl paused before she continued. She knew what she was about to say would hurt her father but this was purely a case of self- defense. "I am, after all, the closet thing he has to a mother because mother died when he was still so little."  
  
Reminded of the untimely loss of his wife and what would have been a fourth daughter, Paladin gave a sigh like a wounded beast and energy seemed to drain out of him. He was, however, determined. He held his position but his tone was more conciliatory.  
  
He looked his oldest child in the eye and said, "Pearl, I know you have worked very hard. How you have taken care of the younger children and kept order here would make your mother very proud but this is a duty we must not shirk."  
  
Pearl snapped, "Why is that? Why must I coddle the old harridan when I am needed here?"  
  
In measured, patient tones Paladin said, "She may be a harridan, but Lalia is Thain and our kin. She is too old to move about well anymore and needs assistance."  
  
"You mean that she is too fat and that does not explain why I have to provide that assistance or who will take care of Whitwell and the children," retorted Pearl.  
  
Paladin let out another sigh and said, "Pippin is almost twelve and I intend to send him to Brandy Hall to stay will Merry while you are gone. He will enjoy that. As for why you, lass, it is simple. No one person should be expected to endure her for very long. It is only for two weeks and will put us in her good graces. Pimpernel and Pervinca are too young to subject to her so that leaves you."  
  
Pearl's voice was hard and cold when she said, "Very well. I can not refuse to obey as I am under your roof. If you want to subject yourself to Pimpernel's cooking, I will not keep you from it."  
  
Paladin reached out to his daughter and softly said her name but she brushed his hand away and walked to her room with a stiff, straight back without saying another word. She did not exactly slam her bedroom door but closed it forcefully enough that Paladin could hear it from the other side of the smial.  
  
When she reached her room, Pearl did not cry but proceeded to pack her clothes methodically. She was afraid of Lalia. No resident in Tookborough who had the sense given to a chicken was afraid of her. The female Thain had ruled over the Tooks with a despotic flair for over two decades. She was the size of three normal hobbit women and never failed to exact vengeance on anyone who crossed her. It seemed terribly unfair to Pearl that her sweet mother had been dead these many years while Lalia continued to wax in size and unpleasantness. It would not do to show fear. She was a descendant of the Old Took. Lalia was only a part of the family by marriage. She would bid her siblings goodbye and take up her new duties stoically. How bad could two weeks, even with Lalia, be? 


	2. Unexpected visitors

A Pearl Beyond Price 2: unexpected visitors The Great Smials 1402  
  
Dealing with Lalia proved equal to Pearl's fears. There was nothing she could do to please the old matriarch. Lalia's imposing presence would have been enough to cow most tweenage hobbits. Her tongue seemed to be made of poison, sharp daggers, and icicles. Pearl was now the closed available target for Lalia's wrath. Lalia did not content herself with criticizing how Pearl performed the tasks Lalia requested of her but also found fault with the girl's looks, manners, and general intelligence.  
  
It really was too much. Most other hobbits near Pearl's own age of twenty- seven would have been constantly on the verge of tears. Some would have given in to a foolish bout of temper at the old harpy and brought her displeasure down on their family. Pearl missed her father and siblings terribly. It had been nearly a week since she had received a kind word or touch from anyone. Oh, she got pitying looks aplenty but, even if some of the hobbits here wanted to have a conversation with her, Lalia kept her too busy to talk to anyone for long. The others were probably just glad that they were not Lalia's new prey.  
  
Pearl had to attend the crone from the time she woke up until well after dark. Lalia needed help moving about and she still took an extremely active part in the running of Tookborough. She was very much in control. In fact, she loved to surprise anyone who was shirking their work, conducting a clandestine affair, or otherwise misbehaving. Pearl cringed when this happened. She knew she was culpable because she was assisting Lalia in sneaking about the Great Smials. Unfortunately, despite being rendered practically immobile by her great size and age, Lalia's mind was sharp and her body resilient. She might beat Gerontius Took's record for longevity. Pearl shuddered at this thought.  
  
Her real regret was that she had not had much time to browse in the great Took library. The Tooks always collected many books, maps, and other printed works. Her great-great-grandfather, Gerontius, had been especially fond of collecting. Perhaps she could sneak into the library late at night after Lalia was asleep...  
  
A piercing screech intruded upon Pearl's thoughts. Lalia thundered, "Girl! What are you doing sitting there daydreaming! I have asked you three times to get me a cup of tea! I have never heard of such laziness and incompetence!"  
  
Pearl wanted to tell Lalia that it was ridiculous that a Took should be waiting on a Clayhanger and not even have a chance to see her own family's library. She also wanted to tell her exactly what she could do with her tea. She remembered how her father wanted her to behave well toward the tyrant. It would reflect well upon the family if she could endure Lalia with grace. She curtsied to the old woman and, in a quiet voice, said, "I am sorry, Madam. I will go get the tea."  
  
Lalia sniffed and said, "Do not forget who I am girl! I will not tolerate disobedience. Be glad I keep order here and not that weak-kneed son of mine. He was not even capable of finding a lass to get him an heir! As for that father of yours, he was far too attached to that Banks baggage he married." Lalia took a moment to sneer before continuing, "He went to pieces after she died. No, he is not Thain material. My son, Ferumbras, may carry that title but I am Thain in all but name. Stop gawking and get that tea, you lazy chit!" Pearl turned away from Lalia and headed towards the kitchen. The girl's back was straight and her pace was measured but swift. She was trembling but not from fear or hurt. She was furious. How could Ferumbras allow his mother to terrorize everyone like this? She knew the answer to her own question, though. He was truly a weak and cowed man. He was already old and seemed to possess little of the Took spirit.  
  
When she came back with the tea, Lalia was speaking with Ferumbras. He did not say anything as he left the room but he nodded at Pearl and his eyes seemed to give her an apology.  
  
"Well, girl," said Lalia, "that took you long enough. You will have even more duties tomorrow. We are going to have a special guest. Frodo Baggins is coming to visit from Hobbiton. He wanted to look at the library before going to Buckland. Impertinent puppy! Well, he is Old Bilbo's heir so we must treat him as a hobbit of standing. The dress I wish to wear tomorrow needs mending and Violet is too busy to be bothered. You will do that. Try not to botch the job."  
  
Pearl said nothing and curtsied to Lalia in order to acknowledge her obedience. Frodo was coming! Her cousin was only seven years older than her and they shared similar scholarly interests. He had always been kind to them and Pippin adored him. She had not seen him since the famous party the previous autumn.  
  
Lalia gave the silent girl a sly, malicious look and said, "Don't look so pleased, girl. You think that the Baggins heir will help you? Hah! You are just distant enough cousins for a match but all he cares for is books! I even heard that he has been seen in the company of a mere child fifteen years younger than him. If he does marry, which I doubt, it will probably be her. She is from a low family but, from what I hear, she will be much prettier than you when she comes of age. He surely does not have to worry about marrying for money!"  
  
Pearl's eyes widened and her mouth opened and closed like that of a beached fish. How did the old witch know about Rosemary Whitfurrows? Pearl had seen Frodo taking the lass aside to talk to her at the Great Party. When an opportune moment presented itself, she indulged her Took curiosity and asked her cousin what was going on.  
  
She remembered the pain in Frodo's eyes when he said, "Despite what I told her, I do love her. She is too young, Pearl. By the time she comes of age, she will have found a lad her own age."  
  
How had Lalia found out? The only reason Pearl found out was that she was extremely observant. Lalia had not even been at the party! Maybe she really was a witch. Pearl was not bothered. She thought of Frodo as an older brother and she knew he treated her as a sister. However, if Lalia turned her poison tongue on her gentle cousin to taunt him about this or ruin his reputation, Pearl really would have to hit her.  
  
That night, Pearl was up late mending Lalia's dress. The seams were split and Pearl fear that, if Lalia put the dress on, they would spilt again and the old woman would blame her for that. Pearl was almost done when she heard a pebble gently hit her window.  
  
She put the dress down and went to look out the window. She saw two little hobbit-lads on a white pony. One had dark hair, the other was blond. Merry and Pippin! The little rascals came all this way alone and in the dark!  
  
"Pearl," Pippin whispered, "We have come to rescue you."  
  
"Stay right there," she said, "I will come down and let you in. 'Aunt' Esme must be frantic!"  
  
Pearl felt overwhelmed. She had to deal with Lalia, protect Frodo from the harridan's tongue, and now she had to deal with these two imps! She sighed. They really did mean well and were dear boys but the trouble they caused! 


	3. Foreshadowings

A Pearl Beyond Price 3: Foreshadowings  
  
The Great Smials 1402  
  
Pearl saw that there was nothing for it but to settle the boys in for the rest of the night and, somehow, find an adult to escort them back to Brandy Hall. She gently scolded them because, at just under twelve, Pippin was far too young to be wandering about at night and Merry, who was almost twenty, should have known better. They had, no doubt, scared Esmeralda terribly and put a further burden on her. However, she did not doubt the courage and love in their hearts that brought them here. After a mild scolding, she hugged them and explained that she could not go away with them.  
  
She sighed and said, "I am very glad to see you, dear lads, and I know your hearts are in the right place but I can not leave here yet. It would reflect badly on father if I proved weak or angered Lalia. You will have to go back to Brandy Hall tomorrow and hope that 'Aunt' Esme does not kill you both after she gets over her relief that you are alive. We will just have to find someone to bring you back to her."  
  
"But, Pearl," complained Pippin, "it is not fair! Father should never have made you go. I would have run away! You are braver than me. Lalia scares me!"  
  
Pearl smiled, ruffled his hair, and said, "Nothing in this life is fair, Pip. As for being braver than me, I would never have dared go all the way from Buckland to The Great Smials at night with nothing but a silly, tweenage Brandybuck for company. When you have a duty, I think you will fulfill it."  
  
When she said these words, Pearl felt that they were right. Would her little brother one day serve a master even more frightening than Lalia? If so, she knew he would be able to face it.  
  
She was brought out of this brief spell of thought when an outraged Merry exclaimed, "Silly! I am not silly and I am old enough to go where I want." In a less pugnacious voice he continued, "I left a message for mother. She will probably be worried but she will know where we went."  
  
Pearl smiled at him and said, "I stand by silly but it was brave and daring of you. I think you two will be heroes one day."  
  
This seemed to mollify Merry and Pearl again felt that sense of the rightness of her statement. She felt like a drum that had been tapped and was now gently vibrating. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. She had hardly gotten 6 consecutive hours of sleep since coming here and that was not enough for a hobbit, especially a tweenager. Not only that, Lalia seemed to take a delight in making sure Pearl got only the worst leftovers to eat. She was thinner and paler than when she left Whitwell just over a week ago.  
  
Pippin looked at her with concern and said, "Pearl, I think we ought to go to bed. It is late."  
  
Pearl was very tired now that the adrenaline of seeing the lads arrive had gone and her voice was a hoarse whisper when she said, "I am almost done with Lalia's dress, Pip. I have to finish it. There are some extra blankets in the chest by the window."  
  
Merry and Pippin made a pallet on the floor with the blankets and Pearl, with a last burst of energy finished mending the dress quickly and got into her bed with a great sense of relief. Merry slept on the floor and Pippin curled up next to her in the bed. The extra warmth and the sound of his breathing were comforting and lulled her to sleep.  
  
The next morning they were roused from sleep by a loud pounding on the door and Lalia's demanding screech, which startled birds from the branches of nearby trees.  
  
She shouted, "Get up, you lazy girl! The Baggins boy will be here for elevenses and I need my dress!"  
  
"Oh, dear," thought Pearl, "I will have to tell her about Merry and Pip being here."  
  
Pearl was so tired and hungry she felt dizzy and her voice was faint when she replied, "The dress is ready, Lalia. Give me a moment."  
  
She woke the boys up quietly and motioned them to be quiet. Maybe she could conceal their presence for just a little while, at least until she had some breakfast in her. 


	4. A fateful Day

Pearl of Great Price 4: A fateful day The Great Smials 1402  
  
Frodo arrived just in time for elevenses and was greeted by Lalia and Pearl, who was wheeling Lalia's chair. Pearl was thankful to see her cousin and also that the two extra ponies in the stables had not been brought to Lalia's attention. This was somewhat surprising to the beleaguered girl because Lalia seemed to know everyone's secrets. Pearl thought that the older woman's excitement was due to having a guest of some importance who she had such a choice morsel of gossip on. She just hoped that she could get a couple of moments alone with Frodo to warn him and to see if he could escort Merry and Pippin back to Esme, since he was going on the Brandy Hall. She wanted to do this before Lalia became aware of the lads' presence.  
  
There were greetings and smiles all around before they went to eat their meal. Lalia glowered at Pearl whenever she tried to speak so she simply murmured a soft hello and, when Lalia was not looking, she tried to motion to Frodo that she needed to speak with him. She thought he nodded to her as if he understood.  
  
The meal was large and heavy for an elevenses. There were fried mushrooms, cakes, roast chicken, fresh-baked bread, and many other delicacies. For once, Lalia let Pearl eat with everyone else instead of relegating her to leftovers. However, Pearl could not summon up the will to do more than pick at the food. She would have to put what was on her plate into a napkin to bring to Merry and Pip, who were sure to be hungry.  
  
She looked across the table at her cousin and thought that there was something fundamentally different in him. He had changed in the months since the Great Party. Pearl could not say exactly what was different in Frodo. He seemed thinner, maybe. She shook her head and thought that was a silly thought. Frodo was slender for a hobbit but he always had been. Maybe he was a shade paler or a slight tension around his eyes. Pearl shook her head at her own worries and thought that the sudden loss of Bilbo and the inheritance of Bag End was probably enough of a reason for any alteration.  
  
She turned her attention to the conversation between Lalia and Frodo. Pearl rebuked herself for her inattention. Frodo might need her but Lalia would be incensed if Pearl interrupted her. However, Lalia was seemingly all sweetness to her guest until she looked at Pearl and gave the girl and evil smirk.  
  
Lalia turned to Frodo and said, "This one has been quite anxious for your arrival, Frodo. I think she has more than a cousin's feelings for you. I told her it was too bad you prefer younger girls."  
  
Frodo seemed nonplussed and replied, "But Pearl is younger than me."  
  
Pearl cringed at Lalia's rude directness and the look of shock on Frodo's face as he realized Lalia was referring to Rosemary. He looked at Pearl with sadness and betrayal in his eyes that cut to her heart more surely than anger would have done.  
  
She shook her head and mouthed the word, "No."  
  
Frodo's face became a mask of impassivity and he said, in a colder tone than she had ever heard him use, "I am sure I do not know what you are talking about, Mistress Lalia. I bid you good day. I wished to look at the library. I will do so now."  
  
Pearl's voice was so high with tension it almost came out as a squeak when she said, "I will just take the dishes to the kitchen."  
  
Lalia sniffed and said, "You do that, girl, but be back here quickly. I need you to wheel me out to the garden. As for you, Master Baggins, you know exactly what I meant. You have not heard the last of this from me. It will be my pleasure to tell the entire Shire that the Baggins heir is in love with a child. What's the matter, boy, could not wait for her to grow up? I just wanted to let you know what I know about you. I will leave it to you to wonder when I will start sharing this amusing story."  
  
Frodo's voice was calm and level when he replied, "I know I have done nothing wrong. Nothing you say will change that. Good day."  
  
He walked out of the room without a single glance at Pearl. Pearl felt a hot teardrop coursing down her cheek. This really was one of the cruelest things Lalia had ever done. Frodo loved that girl and she loved him but he had put off her advances and told her he did not love her. Given the girl's age, it was the right thing to do. Frodo always did the right thing. How dare Lalia insinuate that he had not and destroy her relationship with her cousin in the process!  
  
Pearl was still seething when she came back from the kitchen. She was angry at Lalia but also at herself. She had failed Frodo. She should have been able to protect him, even though she knew it was not she who told Lalia about Rosemary.  
  
She wheeled Lalia to the garden door in silence. The old woman was chuckling and clucking in pleasure at having the advantage over someone else.  
  
"I have to remain angry," Pearl thought, "or I will start crying."  
  
They were at the top of the stairs. It was always tricky to maneuver Lalia and the chair down into the garden. Pearl was concentrating on this when she saw Frodo in a secluded corner of the garden. Then, in the next instant, he was gone. The intense worry, the lack of food, and sleep deprivation might have been enough by themselves to cause what happened next but the shock of seeing her cousin vanish into thin air was more than Pearl's exhausted system could take. The chair slipped out of her nerveless fingers and her body dropped at the top of the stairs with an audible thud. Lalia and her chair landed at the bottom of the stairs in a broken heap. 


	5. Aftermath

A Pearl Beyond Price 5: Aftermath The Great Smials, 1402  
  
Pearl returned to consciousness in her room with the sight of her cousin's anxious blue eyes looking into her own hazel ones. She felt battered and bruised. It had been difficult to come back to consciousness and it took Pearl a moment to realize what had happened.  
  
"Frodo," she asked in a faint voice, "Where are Merry and Pippin. Is Lalia..." Pearl could not bring herself to say the word. The last thing she remembered was the chair slipping through her fingers. She knew that, however sturdy Lalia might appear, she was an old woman and old women had brittle bones. The stone steps and landing would have been unforgiving to them.  
  
Frodo brushed her hair back from her face and said, "Merry and Pippin are fine, the rascals. They are very worried about you but they were hungry and have gone in search of food. Lalia is dead."  
  
Pearl remembered something, frowned, and said, "Frodo, did I see you disappear? I remember you were there in the garden, and then you were gone."  
  
Frodo seemed to want to say something but thought for what seemed like a long time before he replied. In a deliberate tone, he said, "Pearl, you did not tell Lalia about Rosemary, did you?"  
  
This got her temper up and she retorted, "Of course, I did not. How dare you think otherwise, Frodo Baggins! I have no idea how the old witch found out but I assure you I had nothing to do with it."  
  
Frodo laughed and said, "You seem to have your wits about you, Pearl, and to have some energy. That is a relief. I do apologize, though. I should not have suspected you of betraying my confidence. It is..." He paused and ran his hand through his hair before continuing, "...a difficult subject for me."  
  
Pearl's ire abated and, in a calmer voice, she said, "I know it is and I am sorry she found out." She started to cry and said, "I hated her, Frodo. I really did but I never thought to cause anyone's death, even Lalia's. It is my fault she is dead. I let the chair go."  
  
Frodo held her hand and, in a gentle voice, said," Shhhh....stop that nonsense. You fainted, Pearl. You might not have done that if it had not been for me. I was trying to avoid Lalia, you see."  
  
Pearl's eyes widened and she noted the look of sadness and guilt on Frodo's face. She blurted out the answer to her own question, "So, you did disappear. How is that possible?"  
  
He sighed and said, "I can not really tell you, Pearl. It is something I inherited from Bilbo and Gandalf told me to keep it safe. I should not really be using it, although I know Bilbo used it to avoid the Sacksville- Bagginses."  
  
Pearl was astonished and she replied, "Gandalf? The wizard with the fireworks, you mean?"  
  
Frodo nodded and said, "The very one. He would not be pleased with this situation."  
  
Pearl asked miserably, "What will happen to me now? Does everyone blame me?"  
  
Frodo frowned and said, "They should not..."  
  
Frodo's words were interrupted with a knock on the door and two young hobbits burst into the room. It was Merry and Pippin.  
  
Pippin exclaimed joyously, "Pearl, you are alright!" He proceeded to jump on the bed next to her and hugged her."  
  
"We brought you some cake," Merry said shyly.  
  
Pearl thanked and kissed the boys. She surprised herself by eating the whole piece of cake.  
  
Pearl heard a soft knock at the door. It was Ferumbras. He had obviously been crying for the death of his mother but his bearing was more commanding than Pearl remembered. He seemed sad but not angry.  
  
He addressed the boys. "Lads," he said, "I would like a minute alone with Miss Pearl. There are a few things I need to discuss with her."  
  
Frodo, Merry, and Pippin looked at each other and seemed reluctant to leave. Pippin placed himself between Pearl and Ferumbras and was about to say something when Pearl preempted him.  
  
"I will be fine, Pip," she said, "You, Frodo and Merry may go. Thain Ferumbras will not hurt me.  
  
Pearl said that but she was not so sure that it was true. He had never done or said anything untoward or cruel to her but he was Lalia's son and might blame her for his mother's death. 


	6. A reason for malice

A Pearl Beyond Price 6: A reason for malice The Great Smials 6  
  
Pearl looked with consternation at Ferumbras. She wondered what the Thain was going to say to her. She had not spoken much with him and he certainly had not discussed his relationship wit his mother with her. She wondered what being raised by Lalia and kept under her control until he was an old man must have been like. The girl shuddered at this thought.  
  
Ferumbras sighed and said, "Don't worry, child. I do not blame you. You have shown great fortitude by enduring Lalia with as much grace as you did. I am just surprise that something like this did not happen earlier."  
  
Despite herself, Pearl began to cry and said, "I am so sorry, Thain Ferumbras. I know it was an accident but it still took a life. I took a life through my carelessness. I know I will be shunned."  
  
Ferumbras, to Pearl's surprise, looked guilty and did not meet her eyes. She knew that meant her surmise was correct, as she knew it was, but that he was unhappy about what he must do to fulfill the expectations of Hobbit society.  
  
She could not conceal the bitterness in her voice when she asked, "I am right, aren't I? Do not deny it."  
  
The Thain's voice was sad and serious as he replied, "Yes, but not by my choice. There are appearances to consider, as a girl of your intelligence obviously knows. Lalia died while under your care and the family can not be seen to take that lightly or to excuse what many are sure to think of as your negligence. You must leave the Great Smials and return to Whitwell at the first available opportunity. You will not be invited to Lalia's funeral or my investiture as Thain. Did you know that, although I was Thain in name, my mother denied me the power and ceremonies? It will be a while before you are able to attend events here at the Great Smials. However, I believe your birthday is approaching.  
  
There was a twinkle in Ferumbras' eyes and the old hobbit pulled a gleaming object out of his right pocket. It was a beautiful necklace of pearls. They were very large, the largest examples of her name jewel that Pearl had ever seen. They were in dispersed with gems of a light green color that compliments Pearl's hazel eyes wonderfully.  
  
"Oh," she gasped, "They are beautiful! Surely they are too fine for me. Do you really mean to give them to me?"  
  
"Of course I do," he replied gently, "I have no daughter or granddaughter. I have no wife. You are the eldest Took lass of your generation. You should have them. Your father will be Thain after me and your brother after him."  
  
"But why," asked Pearl in a shaky voice, "would you give such a gift to me? It was my fault..."  
  
The Thain interrupted impatiently, "For the last time, lass, it is not your fault. Also, do you think I enjoyed the company of my mother? Nothing I could do was every good enough for her or seemed to please her in any way. She was my mother and I saw the rare instances when her harshness subsided. I do mourn her. However, I have found that I never really knew her."  
  
Pearl was perplexed and asked, "What do you mean."  
  
Ferumbras explained, "I was looking through her papers. She saved all her letters and kept a diary. She was always very organized and thorough. In these manuscripts, I found out the reason for her animus toward Frodo. She fancied Bilbo Baggins but he would have nothing to do with her."  
  
Pearl's mouth gaped in surprise. That did explain quite a lot. A woman like Lalia would not have taken rejection well and would certainly have disliked any member of the Baggins family on principle. She did not have to ask why Lalia had treated her so badly. Lalia had only one son and no grandchildren. Her line was ending, would end when Ferumbras died. Pearl's family would supplant them.  
  
Before Ferumbras could continue, a loud voice interrupted the conversation and Merry and Pippin rushed into the room. The lads looked terrified and guilty.  
  
"Hide us, Pearl," begged a distraught Merry.  
  
"Please," exhorted Pippin.  
  
Pearl smiled and said, "Not a chance, lads. I will vouch for your good intentions, though, and stand by you."  
  
The voice belonged to Esmeralda Brandybuck. "Meriadoc Brandybuck," she shouted, "I know you are there. Come here this instant! I was so worried. How dare you run off like that! When I get my hands on you..."  
  
"Ah," said Ferumbras, "I believe Mistress Brandybuck has come to collect these lads. Good. Frodo may be good enough to delay his trip to Brandy Hall and escort you to Whitwell. We will continue our discussion later, Pearl, or I shall send you post."  
  
Pearl was thrilled to be going home and especially to be doing so in the company of her cousin. She was eager to find out if Ferumbras had any other revelations. 


	7. Discovery!

Pearl Beyond Price 7: discovery! The Great Smials 1402  
  
Esmeralda rushed into the room and her face was like a fierce summer storm, full of anger that was mitigated by a cool feeling of relief. For a minute, Pearl was frightened of her. She knew that there was nothing as ferocious as a mother afraid for her child. Pippin, with whom her relationship was more maternal than sisterly, inspired protective instincts in her.  
  
The boys were cowering on the other side of her bed, looking scared and guilty. Esme grabbed Merry by the ear and hauled him toward her. Pearl had to stifle a laugh when, instead of reprimanding her offspring, Esme hugged him and showered him with kisses. She did make one threat, though.  
  
Esmeralda's voice was firm when she said, "Meriadoc Brandybuck! You are never to do anything like that again! Your father will have extra chores for you when we get back to the Hall."  
  
Pearl also hoped to leave The Great Smials as soon as was possible. She wanted to be back at Whitwell, with her sisters and all her familiar things. She had to admit Pippin was her favorite but Pimpernel was a sweet girl and Pervinca, well, Pervina had some growing up to do.  
  
A sharp crack of thunder interrupted Pearl's thoughts and the sky was illuminated by lightening. Rain proceeded to pour from the sky as if every tear Nienna ever spilt was falling on the Shire. Pearl realized that she, Esmeralda, Frodo, and the lads would have to delay their travel plans. Ferumbras himself returned to her room to implore them to stay the night.  
  
He did not say anything more about his mother but that did not surprise Pearl. Lalia was freshly dead, Ferumbras was caught up in funeral arrangements, and there were other hobbits in the room.  
  
Pippin insisted on sharing Pearl's room. Pearl was glad for the company. She was terrified of storms, something she was loathe to admit because it did not become a lass of twenty-seven who had been caring for three younger sibling since she was eighteen. A cot was set up next to her bed for Pippin to sleep in. They talked for hours while the storm blew rain against the windowpanes.  
  
When she thought Pippin was finally asleep, Pearl slipped out of her bed and went to secret the necklace. She had slipped it into her pocket just before Merry and Pippin entered the room. She sensed that it would not do to be seen with it so soon. She was about to put it in her traveling bag when she heard a gasp.  
  
"Oooooh," breathed Pippin, "Where did you get that. Let me see it, please. That is finer than any of 'Aunt' Esme's jewels or anything you got from mother."  
  
Pearl sighed. Her little brother really was too curious for his own good. She knew there was nothing for it now. He had seen the necklace and Pippin always had to look. "Alright, Pip," she said in a resigned voice, "I will let you see it more closely but you must not tell anyone. Thain Ferumbras gave me that and I do not think I should wear it quite yet."  
  
She gave Pippin the necklace. She saw that the boy was examining the largest pearl in the necklace rather closely and asked, "What is it Pip. What do you see?"  
  
"Hmmm..." he said with a frown, "There is something odd about the clasp." He proceeded to pick at it with his fingernail.  
  
"Stop that Pippin," said an exasperated Pearl, "you are going to damage the necklace!"  
  
Her breath stopped when Pippin slid a small, delicate object that was quite obviously a key out of the complicated little clasp of the necklace. Pearl had a bad feeling that her adventures were far from over. 


	8. Lock and key

Pearl Beyond Price 8: lock and key  
  
Pippin had a look in his eyes that Pearl recognized and did not like at all. It was a look that usually preceded Pippin getting into trouble of some kind or even, in rare instances, being injured. Pearl sighed; she knew that she was considered overly cautious by her siblings. She supposed it was because she was the oldest and had preformed a mother's duties for nine years. After all, what mother would urge her children to risks and adventures? No Hobbit-matron would, of that Pearl was certain. Not even a Took.  
  
"Do not even consider it Pip," she said, in a gently warning tone, "I am responsible for you and Father will never forgive me if anything happens to you or if you manage to cause more discord here than I have already done."  
  
"But, Pearl," Pippin wheedled, "What could possible happen to us in the Great Smials? Oh, we just have to see what lock this key fits!"  
  
"Peregrin Took," Pearl said sternly, "your curiosity is sure to be the death of you. I am positive it will be the death of me!"  
  
Yet, as Pearl said these words, she felt a great desire to known what that key could possibly belong to. It was so tiny. It certainly did not fit a door. In fact, as she looked at it, she could not remember seeing anything remotely like it in the entire Shire.  
  
Her voice softened and she said, "I did not mean to snap at you. It has been difficult here and today has been so...," Pearl paused as she searched for the right word, "long and very trying."  
  
Pippin looked chagrined and examined his toes. "I am sorry, Pearl," he said, "I should be letting you sleep. You are very pale and I do not want you to faint again. I just can not help it, though! Surely you want to find out about this key."  
  
Pearl laughed, decided to relent a little, and replied, "Of course I do, Pip. I am a Took, after all. We do not have to go rushing after it tonight, though. We will see if we find out anything in the morning. I will ask Frodo. He has been in the library and learned a great deal from old Bilbo. He might be able to help us solve this mystery. Now, let us go to sleep."  
  
She hugged Pippin, ruffled his hair, and sang a lullaby that had been his favorite when he was very small. Pippin settled on his cot and Pearl went to bed. The events of the day and the deprivations she suffered under Lalia's command had taken their toll on her. She tried to put on a brave front for Pippin but she did feel as if she would collapse She fell into the deep, dreamless sleep of exhaustion.  
  
When she awoke the next morning, the rain was still coming down in torrents. Pippin was sitting in a chair looking out the window at the rain. He really was making an incredible effort to be still so she could sleep and she loved him for it.  
  
He saw she was up and, with some concern, asked, "Are you feeling better, Pearl."  
  
She yawned and said, "A little, Pip. I am very hungry, though."  
  
As if summoned by her words, there was a knock at the door. Pippin opened it to admit Frodo, bearing a tray heaped with breakfast food. There was toast, eggs, bacon, and the first of the berries with cream. Best of all, there was a pot of steaming tea.  
  
She smiled with delight and said, "Frodo! You are the dearest hobbit in the entire Shire!"  
  
A disgruntled noise came from Pippin and he protested, "Hey!"  
  
She laughed, ruffled her little brother's hair, and said, "With the possible exception of my little Pip here."  
  
Frodo lips quirked in an amused smile and said, "I thought that some breakfast would be welcome. That hardly makes me a hero." In a softer, worried voice he said, "I hope I did not bring it too late. I know you needed to sleep."  
  
"No," said Pearl, "I do not think so. What time is it?"  
  
"Well," he replied, "we could call this elevenses instead of breakfast and not be too far off the mark."  
  
Pearl gasped with dismay. She had wasted half the day. She had not slept that late since her mother died except for the winter when Pippin got a lung sickness and passed it on to her. The state of the Whitwell smial when she got well again was not to be thought of. Like any good hobbit-woman, Pearl desired an orderly home.  
  
Seeing her dismay, Frodo said, "Do not worry. No one will be traveling in this. Esmeralda and Merry are still here and have been up for some time."  
  
"Oh, dear," said Pearl, "poor Ferumbras. I feel badly for him. No one should have their grief intruded upon like this and there is grief mixed in with his relief, make no mistake."  
  
"Yes," said Frodo soberly, "there is. However, he has insisted that we stay and it really would not be good for the ponies to bring them out in such weather. Why you are so worried about oversleeping, Pearl? You are not expected to do anything today. I daresay that, without Pip there to create havoc, Whitwell will do just fine without you for another day."  
  
"It is not that," she said, "Pippin found something. Now," she gave Frodo a looked full of meaning and continued, "I have a secret for you to keep as I will keep yours." She went to her bag and pulled out the necklace and the key. "I do not know what this means," she said, "but it is best to err on the side of caution and keep it concealed. At any rate, it would be unseemly for me to wear the necklace yet or even have it known that I possess it. Do you have any ideas about the key?"  
  
Frodo held the key between his thumb and forefinger and examined it. "I think," he said, "that this is the work of Elves. It is far too small and delicate to be Hobbit-made. I think it would be a key for a small curio box. Bilbo had such a box from Lord Elrond and kept some of his mother's jewels in it. It would not surprise me if the Took family had more than one. After all, the Old Took did have three daughters and all of them had dealings with elves at one time or another." 


	9. The Search

Pearl Beyond Price 9: The Search  
  
The Great Smials 1402  
  
Pearl hope they could find the object the key fitted before the rain stopped. They would have to move quickly because the downpour certainly could not keep up this level of intensity for very long. If it did, Brandy Hall would be in danger of flooding. Also, she thought that Pippin would certainly explode if they did not solve this mystery. He was squirming and ready to dash out the door.  
  
"We need to be careful about this," Frodo said, "It would be poor repayment of Ferumbras' kindness to be caught sneaking around and snooping into his things so soon after his mother's death." He cast a mild but admonishing glance at the youngest Took, whose curiosity was clearly torturing him.  
  
Pippin sounded a note of complaint, "But, Frodo..."  
  
Pearl shook her head a the younger Took and said," Hush, Pippin. Frodo is right but do not fret, we will look but we will be cautious." She looked at her cousin and continued, "Should we enlist Merry into our effort, Frodo? Having another pair of eyes would be useful but it would mean we run a greater risk of being discovered."  
  
Frodo thought for a moment and said, "I think so. We will not have much time, so the importance of having the additional help outweighs the risks. We should go collect him."  
  
The three hobbits went to Merry and Esmeralda's room and retrieved Merry. It took both Pearl and Frodo to convince Esmeralda to release her son when he was under punishment for running off. They did not tell her what they had found or what they were doing but appealed to her to let the boys have some time together with Frodo because they was nothing else to do on such a dreary day.  
  
In fact, Merry and Pippin were not together during the search. The two Tooks broke up into one team and Frodo and Merry went in the other direction. They knew they were probably looking for a small, ornate jewelry box and decided to search Lalia's room first. It would be the most dangerous and the most likely place to find what they were after. Lalia would certainly have appropriated such a treasure for herself.  
  
Pearl and Pippin searched Lalia's room carefully. They did not what to mess anything up and betray they presence. Pearl rifled through the drawers and Pippin looked under the bed and in the closet. It was dark in the room and rain continued to sheet against the windows. They only illumination was the occasional flash of lightening.  
  
Pippin was small for his age and was struggling to reach something on the top shelf of the closet. Pear was about to go help him when his long, nimble fingers reached around a blue and gold box and he gave a little cry of victory.  
  
"Pearl," he exclaimed, "I think this is it!"  
  
"We will see," she said calmly.  
  
Pearl removed the key from her pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. It fit and the lid opened with an audible click. 


	10. The inheritance

Pearl Beyond Price 10: inheritance The Great Smials 1402  
  
Pearl and Pippin stared at the contents at the box and hesitated to touch what they saw. It was a small book, bound in blue silk. Pearl picked it up and, with trembling fingers, opened it to the first page. There, in an elegant but somewhat inexact scrawl were the words, "The Journal of Belladonna Took." Pearl wanted to read it immediately but knew she could not risk tarrying here and being discovered by Ferumbras or one of the servants.  
  
"Well, Pip," she said, "it looks like old Bilbo inherited his writing habits from his mother. Think of what we might learn! We have to go now, though."  
  
Pippin looked doubtful and said, "Don't you think Ferumbras will miss it?"  
  
Pearl shook her head and replied, "He probably does not even know of its existence."  
  
Pearl put the book back into the little box and slipped it into the deep pocket concealed in the folds of her skirt. The two Tooks snuck out of the room and walked attempted to be as quite as possible as they walked down the hall and back towards Pearl's room. Pearl was relieved when they finally got back to her room and closed the door. Frodo and Merry were waiting for them there.  
  
Frodo looked at her with expectation and asked, "Did you find anything?"  
  
Pearl smiled wordlessly and held up the clever little box. She offered it to Frodo, opened it and saw what it contained. He took the book out and looked at its cover page.  
  
Pearl hesitated then asked, "Do you think I should keep it."  
  
Frodo thought for a moment then said, "Yes. The key came to you and Belladonna has no direct female descendants. You are the oldest Took female of your generation. Ferumbras is unlikely to marry, let alone have a daughter."  
  
Pearl sighed, "I will trust your judgment Frodo but it still feels like stealing."  
  
"I wonder," he mused, "if Bilbo knows about this. He did not speak much of his mother, although I know he loved her. I think the fact that she died somewhat earlier than one would expect of a daughter of the Old Took pained him."  
  
"It could be," said Pearl, "that she did not tell him about her adventures or her journal. Belladonna and her sisters were quite close about their adventures and at least two of her brothers disappeared never to be seen in the Shire again. It could be that their adventures were unpleasant."  
  
Pearl was looking at Frodo when she said this and felt the same frisson that she had when she told Pippin and Merry they would be heroes. It could not be. Her silly little brother's reckless ways might mature into heroics but, surely, her calm, quiet, and sweet cousin would settle down respectably and fill that enormous smial with little Bagginses.  
  
Just then, she noticed that a ray of light was streaming through the window. She looked outside and saw that, not only had the rain stopped, but there were now large patches of blue emerging from the clouds. 


	11. Cruelty

A Pearl Beyond Price 12: Cruelty

The Great Smials, 1402

Pearl knew that, if they wanted to read the contents of the little blue book together and share what the found, she and the boys had better read it now. By way of punishment, Pippin was to be sent back to Whitwell with Pearl instead of continuing his visit with Merry. This was Esmeralda's wish and the boys did display recklessness and disobedience in their nighttime ride to the Great Smials. Frodo would be going on to Brandy Hall with Esmeralda and Merry as he wished to visit his Brandybuck cousins.

Pearl, with her brow wrinkled in thought, said, "I think we should read this now, Frodo. We will go our separate ways tomorrow. We may, at least, read some part of it. Maybe some of the last passages would be the ones to look at."

Frodo looked puzzled and asked, "Why, Pearl? Surely the lads here would be more interested in her adventures as a lass."

Pearl shook her head and replied, "They do not require any encouragement of that nature. Also, the book, as a Took artifact, will be going to Whitwell with me. I will eventually give it to Pippin's daughter, if he has one, and you would be interested in anything she wrote about Bilbo..."

"What is it?" asked Frodo in alarm at her pause.

She pursed her lips and said, "Why would Lalia have wanted to keep such a thing so close to her and hidden? She must have had some motive for coveting that book. She was not a Took, although she married one, and no kin to Belladonna. She could only have wanted to hide it if there was something uncomplimentary about her written in there."

"Huh!" said Frodo, "That is perceptive of you, Pearl. In that case, let us start with the very last entry and continue until we find what Lalia was trying to hide."

Pippin, squirming in excitement pleaded, "Can I read it?"

"Shhhh...Be patient, Pip," Merry admonished, although he seemed quite eager to hear the story as well.

"I think," said Frodo, "that this is, at least for now, Pearl's book and she should be the one to read it."

"Okay," said Pippin, who then turned to Pearl and begged, "but do not let us wait any longer."

"Very well," said Pearl and she began to read the last entry, which seemed to be written quite sloppily for a hobbit matron of Belladonna's education.

The Journal of Belladonna Took

6, Halimath, 1334

I am writing this in hopes that it will, one day, reach a friendly reader. I doubt this as the witch may destroy this book, in which I have written down many of the events of my life. I have ignored it for many years but I have had little of note to remark upon since my son was a fry.

I should not ramble as the old are prone to do as I am becoming weaker every moment. The Clayhanger snake has poisoned me. I knew she desired a wealthy husband but I severely underestimated what she would do to get one. She must have thought of me as an obstacle to a marriage with Bilbo and I was for I know she will make any Hobbit she marries miserable but my son has been of age for years and has always had his own strong will. If she thinks he will turn to her in his grief when I am not there to warn him against her, she is sorely mistaken.

She came all this way to impose on distant relations for the summer. I thought nothing of loitering about Bag End. She is stout but quite tall for a lass and handsome of feature, or so I thought until I noticed how sour the expression on her face always was. Bilbo eventually resorted to hiding from her and asked me to tell her he was not at home if she called. I am more direct than my son and told the baggage she was no longer welcome here.

She took this less than civilly but did not make a scene. I considered the matter finished until she came at teatime with a syrupy smile plastered on her face and those raspberry tarts. I was never able to resist raspberries.

I am weakening and can not write any longer. If Bilbo every finds out, I want him to know this is not his fault and he should feel no guilt. I hope he never finds out.

I can see the far green country Gandalf told me about when father died. Maybe Bungo will be there, waiting for me...

Pearl's voice cracked as she read the last sentence. She looked with tear-bright eyes at Frodo and the lads and, although her mouth opened and closed several times, the silence was not broken until Frodo spoke.

In a small, quiet voice he said, "It is unlikely I will ever see Bilbo again but, if I do, I will not tell him. It would only be cruel to tell him now. It was a sad end to a great lady."

The four hobbits contemplated the lengthening shadows for some time and even Pippin was unusually quiet. Only the dinner bell roused them from their thoughts.


	12. Those Who Wait

A Pearl Beyond Price: Epilogue/Those Who Wait

Bag End, 1421

The moon was full and silver in the night sky. The orb's pale light streamed through a window in Bag End and illuminated the sleeping form of Frodo Baggins. Pearl looked at her cousin, asleep on the couch in front of the fire, which was now only glowing red embers. She clasped the little blue book in her lap and remembered how they found it so many years ago.

All of them had gone from the Great Smials the next morning, without telling Ferumbras what they now knew of his mother. Frodo, Esmeralda, and Merry went to Brandy Hall. Pearl and Pippin returned home to Whitwell. When she got home, she again felt the effects of the deprivation and stress of her time as Lalia's servant. She never again fainted but she became more susceptible to illness. She never married for, despite Lalia's death being an accident and the knowledge that the Terror of Tuckborough had been a murderer, Pearl still felt tainted and, after all, her father and siblings needed her. Now she was too old, her life was half-way over.

She thought that there was too much sorrow in this world. Belladonna's book proved that. The Old Took's daughter wrote of such tragic subjects as the fate of two of her brothers, outliving her husband, and her own demise. However, there was some joy too. Belladonna also got to ride on Shadowfax with the Gandalf the Wizard and meet the Elves. She had a good, loving husband who built her this magnificent smial. She also had a clever son with her eyes. She mused that all things end and endings are always sad.

Now her brother and cousins had long since returned from their own adventures, which had been even more perilous than Belladonna's. Her little brother, so tall and with a bright sword and fine raiment but quiet and so unlike the carefree lad he had been. Merry was the same and he had that scar on his forehead and clutched his right arm in bad weather. They were heroes, those two, but she grieved for the boys they had been.

She looked at the wan face of her cousin, tense with pain even in sleep. She knew he was more of a hero than the others, despite their swords and ponies, and she knew he had born a terrible burden. She was glad she had come to visit because she sensed he would be leaving soon. The near-emptiness of Bag Eng, once so full of all Old Bilbo's things, testified to this. The entire dwelling screamed leave-taking, even if she had not had one of her flashes of "knowing," which had become fewer and fewer over the years. She hoped she had given him some comfort by reading him what Belladonna had written about the antics of Bilbo as a child as he drowsed by the fire.

Pearl was beginning to drift off to sleep herself when Frodo, newly awake gently called her name and said, "You should be in bed, Pearl. I hope you did not stay up on my account or find the mattress in the guestroom uncomfortable."

She smiled and said, "Do not think of it, dearest Frodo. I was just watching the fire die down and thinking. Belladonna had adventures. You, Sam, Merry, and Pippin had adventures that changed the world. What have I done? I am a simple spinster. You, Frodo, you could have had a wife and family. You would have been a good husband. If anyone had to be sacrificed, it should have been me but I would probably have failed anyway."

Frodo smiled weakly, took her hand, and said, "Pearl, do not say that. You have as much strength as me but I would never wish for another, especially such a sweet lass as yourself, to endure what I have endured."

"I just feel so useless," she said quietly.

"Oh, Pearl," Frodo remonstrated gently, "you are not useless. You have been an excellent friend to me. Where would Paladin, Pippin, and the girls be without you? Those who wait for us and stand by us are very important and you have done that."

"You are leaving," she said simply and gestured around the room, vacant except for the couch.

"Yes," he replied, "but please do not tell anyone just yet. Pearl?"

"Yes," she asked, "I will not tell anyone. What is it?"

"Be a friend to Rosemary," he pleaded.

"You did not even have to ask," she responded solemnly

Both hobbits went to their rooms. Pearl close her eyes and let all thoughts of her cousin's departure, her ailing father, her changed brother, her missed chances fall from her like the golden and russet leaves. She dreamed of childhood and of flying and of Belladonna's white roses.


End file.
